If you're already mourning the end of “;Lost”; before the final season begins, fear not. Six box sets of DVDs won't be the only way to hang onto your obsession in the coming years. After the series finale in May, ABC will auction off every single prop, costume and set piece. These include the Dharma Initiative food items, Kate's toy airplane, Locke's suicide note to Jack, as well as the Dharmaville VW vans and (foam) submarine. The auction is expected to contain about 1,200 lots, with proceeds in the millions of dollars. A portion of that will go to a charity in Hawaii, although producers have not specified which one.

Profiles in History, an auction house in Los Angeles that specializes in memorabilia from films and television, is assembling the lots for international sale. The auction will take place in Los Angeles (though this could change, because ABC does not want to ship the items from Hawaii to Los Angeles) and online via live streaming, where viewers will be able to see the action on the floor.

Profiles in History will provide links to the Web auction houses liveauctioneers.com and icollector.com for Internet bidding. And, if you prefer looking at photographs in a book you can hold, printed catalogs and digital downloads will be available, hopefully, about one month in advance of the big event, slated for the end of June.

“;There's so much stuff that we're trying to do it in stages,”; said Profiles in History's David Lee. A 10-day trip to Hawaii during the Hawaii International Film Festival allowed his staff to photograph and categorize a few hundred props. The next trip to the islands will focus on costumes.

“;We're literally making the catalog as they're shooting,”; Profiles in History founder Joe Maddalena said during his visit to Honolulu in October.

Lee specified that the authentic screen-used props always sustain value and are likely to fetch high prices. But ABC has considered creating replicas of frequently requested items, such as Charlie's Drive Shaft ring. Obviously, the copies will sell for much less.

Part of organizing an auction involves establishing starting bids. “;We like to be very conservative in our estimates,”; said Lee. “;But usually, it's not going to sell for a whole lot less than that.”; His idea of “;low,”; however, is “;a couple of hundred dollars.”;

Lee declined to name specific starting prices for several reasons. ABC and Profiles in History probably will combine several minor items into character-driven lots that include Locke's hunting knife with his backpack and maybe a few other small pieces, for example. A lot of the Dharma Initiative props will be grouped together, as well.

“;There's a lot of items we don't want to sell individually,”; said Lee. “;You have to cull them together with other, more interesting items and make that one lot.”;

SINCE ITS inception in 1985, Profiles in History has conducted more than 40 Hollywood auctions. Some of the more noteworthy sales include the lion costume from “;The Wizard of Oz”; ($805,000) and the Endoskeleton from “;Terminator 2: Judgment Day”; ($488,750). But Lee said this is the first time only one show or movie has been represented in a single auction.

When asked whether Hawaii residents could pick up their purchases in person to avoid additional shipping costs, Lee indicated it might be possible. But the anticipation of the global nature of the auction prevents them from considering it in too much detail this early.

He stressed that although the auction will happen, everything else remains tentative as they add on props and costumes from the final season, and attempt to set a date for what is sure to be a lucrative—and green—way for the series to make its exit from the islands.